MS symptoms due to chiropractic? Your opinions

[DanielleSmith]

In the middle of June I experienced a whiplash type of injury after having my head jerked around a bit (not car accident). I thought I had slept wrong and iced my neck and put heat for a week. I also found it difficult to hold my head up. After a week I felt like I needed my neck popped. I had been to a chiropractor before following a partial dislocation of a vertebrae 3 years ago (similar symptoms). He had me up and going in a few weeks. So a week after this new neck pain I went to a chiropractor who said it looked like a whiplash injury as I loss the curve in my neck and my neck was leaning to the side with a mild scoliosis look in my spine. I've never been told I had scoliosis and remember being tested for it. He proceeded with the normal chiropractor routine and could only get one side of my neck to pop and not the other. The next day I was in the hospital unable to formulate my words properly, nauseous, brain fog. CTA and everything came back normal besides an increased heart rate. I was sent home told I had dehydration.

A few days later I still felt like my neck needed to be popped but I didn't want to go to a regular chiropractor so I found a NUCCA chiropractor who adjusts only the top vertebrae but gently pushing against your neck. He said it looked like an old injury (due to the loss of the curve) and suggest d that I reinjured it. I had been in a major car accident 4 years ago and walked away seemingly unscathed so it made sense that my neck was actually whipped forward then from the force of impact. So after he adjusted me, I experienced a toxic release like reaction and the next day it felt like I had the flu. Achy all over and severe headache and when I'd breathe in it felt like cold air was hitting my brain. I've seen him for over a month now. The racing heart and sweaty palms and feet, headaches, muscle spasms on left side subsided.

But since I started seeing him I had one severe headach that felt like my head had a tight band around it or like there was extreme pressure inside my head. The following weekend I had eye pressure behind the right eye that came on suddenly. It hurt to close it open it, look around it was just the constant pressure behind me eye. I fell asleep and it subsided (lasted total 5hrs). That's same night I woke up with a tingly, flush sensation on my face and chest that subsided when I turned on my side.

Since then I still have eye twinges like every now and then my eyes hurt. It feels like when you cross your eyes for too long. I have minor aches in my elbows and knees. I have nerve twitching that jumps all over my body and goes and comes (I mostly notice it when I'm lying down). Pain at the top of my chin. One area on my finger went numb momentarily after waking from sleeping. It felt like a circle numb sensation like no feeling at all at the tip of my finger.

Brain MRI came back normal besides a signal that picked up what is thought to be a cyst on my pituitary gland. My blood results were fairly normal. ALT levels were slightly increased, no high thyroid levels but the thyroid antibody test came back as positive so there's something going on whether it be autoimmune or diabetes. And I'm vitamin d deficient.

I've started on vitamin d supplements and will get on a b12 supplement as well. Neurologist brushed me off saying it was just whiplash and to see a physical therapist which I have. Orthopedist said the same. The ENT found nothing although I'm no longer producing ear wax which is weird. The opthomologist said the eye that had pressure looks normal but my left eye for some reason looks like the blood vessels are congested? He recommended me see a neuro-opthamologist.

So, I'm scared like I'm sure most of you were when you first started experiencing MS and a lot of my symptoms sound MS related but only came on after a chiropractic adjustment. How could that be?

Before this I had no weird symptoms nothing ever.

Does anyone think the chiropractor could have caused MS?

I know they say they influence the Central Nervous System and if I had a toxic release could my immune system have mistaken my nervous system for a sickness and started attacking? I'm terrified of having MS. I'm terrified of the unknown. I'd appreciate all and any opinions anyone has. Please.

[vesta]

Hello Danielle:

The Chiropractor Dr Michael Flanagan believed that up to 25% of MS cases were caused by obstructions in blood/cerebrospinal fluid flow through the central nervous system and an accident can lead to such an obstruction. You might try to get a FONAR upright MRI examination to see where the obstruction is located. Check out Dr Scott Rosa (Chiropractor) on the CCSVI Alliance website CCSVI Alliance www.ccsvi.org/. Neurological symptoms caused by an accident can be delayed. (An MRI lying down won't necessarily reveal skeletal obstructions of spinal fluids. I hope you can find someone to really visualize the problem and treat it.)

Best regards, Vesta

[lyndacarol]

… And I'm vitamin d deficient.

I've started on vitamin d supplements and will get on a b12 supplement as well. …

So, I'm scared like I'm sure most of you were when you first started experiencing MS and a lot of my symptoms sound MS related but only came on after a chiropractic adjustment. How could that be?

Before this I had no weird symptoms nothing ever.

Does anyone think the chiropractor could have caused MS?

I know they say they influence the Central Nervous System and if I had a toxic release could my immune system have mistaken my nervous system for a sickness and started attacking? I'm terrified of having MS. I'm terrified of the unknown. I'd appreciate all and any opinions anyone has. Please.

Welcome to ThisIsMS, Danielle.

First, I agree with vesta: neurological symptoms can be caused by an accident and can be delayed from the time of the accident. I have even heard of chiropractors inadvertently causing damage, in their attempt to help a problem.

There are MANY conditions that can cause neurological symptoms. All the more likely causes must be ruled out first before an MS diagnosis can be considered. There is no definitive test for MS, but there are tests to exclude the other possibilities.

One of the conditions that can lead to neurological symptoms is a vitamin D deficiency, which you say you have. What was the actual number result for your vitamin D test? Do you have any idea how long you have been deficient? Do you know if your vitamin D supplement is the D3 form or the D2 form? How many IU of vitamin D are you taking each day?

B12 deficiency can also cause neurological symptoms. Have you had vitamin B12 testing? You say you plan to start a B12 supplement… There is no danger in taking the water-soluble B12 (any amount that your body does not use will be flushed out in urine), if you are not deficient; but I don't understand why you would take it, if you're NOT B12 deficient.

These are only a couple of possible causes for your symptoms – there is still a long list of possibilities for your doctor to rule out before you get to MS. Also, remember that all your symptoms do not necessarily have the same cause.

[Snoopy]

Did you tell the Dr. that ordered the brain MRI that you had been in an accident and the problems with your neck afterwards? That you had been receiving Chiropractic treatments? A MRI or x-ray should be done of your neck as the injury you sustained and the Chiropractic treatment following could have done damage to the cervical spine. This could very well be what the problem is and not something such as MS.

[DanielleSmith]

Thank you. I'll look into the Cine Upright MRI.

I have a Vitamin D deficiency of 18. I've never been tested for it before. Im working my way up to taking 10,000IU/day right now just at 4,000IU. I'm taking Vitamin D and D3. I've always felt good before this so I don't know why a vitamin d deficiency would come on all of a sudden and start causing problems.

I had a CTA of my neck after the first chiropractic adjustment. I was in an accident 4years ago. The recent injury was aggravated due to some yanking of my head and I'm guessing possibly having my neck in extension longer than normal. Had I not been in an accident a few years ago my neck wouldn't have had this recent injury.

I asked for a brain MRI not knowing about the cervical spine MRI. The neurologist wouldn't order it so I had to get the NUCCA chiro to order for me.

[lyndacarol]

I have a Vitamin D deficiency of 18. I've never been tested for it before. Im working my way up to taking 10,000IU/day right now just at 4,000IU. I'm taking Vitamin D and D3. I've always felt good before this so I don't know why a vitamin d deficiency would come on all of a sudden and start causing problems.

The California-based group, GrassrootsHealth (http://www.grassrootshealth.net/) recommends that the vitamin D level should be at least 40 ng/mL. Now that your doctor knows you have a deficiency, he should monitor with a test regularly – once or twice a year to be sure that you reached and maintain an optimal level.

Vitamin D3 is the preferred form.

As for a vitamin D deficiency coming on all of a sudden… Vitamin D is used in virtually every cell, organ, and system in the body. BUT, when there is not an adequate amount of vitamin D, the body will compensate for a while.

[Mascha]

Hi,

I am also here because I am waiting on my diagnostic process. However, I am also a registered physical therapist (and am now doing a PhD in PT). I have done research on concussion (published in Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine) and work close to experts on necks. The current consensus is that most concussions happen with a whiplash element and vice versa. Concussions do not show up on MRIs or CTs. They often come with neurological symptoms, which can have a delayed onset.

Physical therapists do not tend to speak very positively of chiros. especially not when the cervical spine is involved and especially not when a whiplash event has taken place. They CAN do quite some damage (which in turn also would cause neurological symptoms).

As far as MS and MRIs are concerned, I am not a medical professional, but as I wrote, also a patient. I have understood that for an MS diagnosis the MRI needs to show at least two lesions that could have been caused by inflammatory processes at seperate times.

If your (new) scans don't show any plausible damage, my advice would be to speak to a physio (who also can "pop" and manipulate and do more "softer" treatments after a more thorough examination). They are experts at (neuro) rehabilitation too. ;)

Good luck!

[danielashell]

Hi. Is it possible for neurological damage to be done by a PT putting your hip back in place a dozen or so times in a 3 year period, and a rib one time?
Just curious because after 3 yrs of this hip no sense I am quite rapidly developing a ton of symptoms that mimic ms, and I'm really paranoid right now.